


Peppermint Coffee

by TheRatQueen



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Drunk Tsukiyama Shuu, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mildly Dubious Consent, Minor Original Character(s), My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Sexual Bondage, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Other, Reader is a vampire, Tsukiyama Shuu Being a Creep, Vampires, alcohol?, ghoul/vampire ship, ghouls duh, i saw the title of another story that involved vampires and it got me thinking, ive not read that story but i will give credit for the idea, just touching, non-con elements, not with sex tho, personal interp of vampires, pre-kaneki, tsukiyama has a different mask at the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRatQueen/pseuds/TheRatQueen
Summary: You're out one night, taking in the cold breeze and watching drunkards stumble home from their night at the bar. You can't bring yourself to stoop to such a level that you'd put yourself at risk for an easy meal, so you keep walking. A broken cry is heard deep in one of the alleyways as you march along the sidewalk opposite the noise. Not your meal, not your business. It's been 2 weeks and you have no other choice than to be out tonight. A night when humans and ghouls alike indulge themselves in unnecessary pleasures. You notice on a nearby apartment building that one of the windows is wide open, not sensing any ghouls in that direction, you pull up your surgical mask and make your way towards it. That, dear reader, is where the fun begins.
Relationships: Tsukiyama Shuu & Reader, Tsukiyama Shuu/Reader, Tsukiyama Shuu/You
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a fic with tags about a vampire reader and i thought it was a hella good idea so this is my take on it. Even though i havent read it, I did some research and this is my own interp of vampires just to avoid any accidental copying! The work i saw was https://archiveofourown.org/works/2612393 and though i dont have an opinion on the fic itself, i implore you to check it out cuzz why not!

You're out one night, taking in the cold breeze and watching drunkards stumble home from their night at the bar. You can't bring yourself to stoop to such a level that you'd put yourself at risk for an easy meal, so you keep walking. A broken cry is heard deep in one of the alleyways as you march along the sidewalk opposite the noise. Not your meal, not your business. It's been 2 weeks and you have no other choice than to be out tonight. A night when humans and ghouls alike indulge themselves in unnecessary pleasures. You notice on a nearby apartment building that one of the windows is wide open, not sensing any ghouls in that direction, you pull up your surgical mask and make your way towards it.

* * *

Asleep, good. The young woman was sleeping soundly in bed and thankfully she didn't smell of alcohol. This could be a decent meal, so long as no one interrupted. Reaching into your bag you pulled out a bottle of a clear, fragrant liquid, a cloth, and a bundle of silk rope. You look down at the woman for a moment before splashing a generous amount of the liquid onto the cloth, holding it up to her nose barely touching her but guaranteeing its effect. Her breathing slowed and you sighed contently, flicking her nose to make certain it really worked.

No movement, even better. You gathered up the silk ropes and bonded her wrists to her intricate headboard, taking a step back to ensure the door was locked. You inhaled deeply and packed up your bag. However, instead of packing up your cloth, you stuffed it far back into the poor girl's mouth. The liquid you used usually kept them out without killing them, but there was always the occasional human who would be awoken by the shear pain of being drained. Safety was your main priority, it was the reason you took another step back to collect yourself and walk back through your steps, you had done everything correctly, hadn't you?

You decided that pondering on the subject for too long would leave room for error, so you quickly decided you had. Taking your seat beside the sleeping human, her limp legs and torso curled slightly towards you from her previous state of comfort. You leaned down, removed your mask, and inhaled her scent, exhaling a soft "Thank you.." before you clamped your jaw down on the tender skin of her neck, just above her shoulder. As you inhaled next, you began to drink, swallowing deeply as soft mewls and moans slipped from your throat. The scarlet fluid brings strength back to your bones, much needed strength. Your grip on her left shoulder tightened and you sank your teeth further into her flesh, jolting up when a noise startled you.

You tore your head around and your eyes landed on another pair, a hungry pair. A pair of red irises bore into you from behind their mask, almost hypnotizing you. Almost.

Quickly, you growled out to him, a noise that can only be described as that similar to a mountain lion. This clearly took him off guard. The ghoul loosened his posture in confusion only for a second before he stepped off of the windowsill and into the room. You felt yourself tense and your body began contemplating fight or flight without including your brain in the conversation. The ghoul took another step toward you, earning another growl, but this time he only grinned. A sick, far too interested grin.

You both continued the dance, you would move away from him somehow and he would attempt to corner you again. His only mistake was letting you get close to the windowsill, without even realizing it. At this point you had forgone fighting for your meal, you'd had enough to last you a few more days. You would hunt again then, tonight was not as lucky as you'd previously thought.

However, you were now only a foot away from the window. When the ghoul took another step toward you, you quickly slipped out and onto the roof, dashing away as quickly as your body would let you. That was too close. You hated interacting with hungry ghouls, everyone was different and unpredictable.

Luckily this one didn't get his hands on you, that purple haired ghoul could have the rest of your meal. Wait- Purple-haired? When did you have time to notice that? Is that what happens when instincts take over rather than logic? Your brain just focuses on pointless details like hair color? I guess that could be useful? What else could you remember about him?

You thought for a moment, recalling fresh memories and noticing new details every time. Nicely dressed, perfect teeth, mascara? Well, to each their own, I guess. One detail stuck with you until you made it to a safe place. Directly in front of the CCG headquarters, no ghoul was crazy enough to hang around here. He smelled, no, reeked of death. Much more than the usual ghoul, the man couldn't be good company. You put up your surgical mask and walked along the sidewalk. You were free of bloodstains since you had gotten used to your routine, even with the slip ups.

Exhaling deeply, you took a seat on a nearby park bench and pulled out your phone, texting a friend of yours and asking for a ride back to your place. You didn't trust walking back home after an encounter like that, ghouls could track scent much better than you. Your friend pulled up within 15 minutes and smiled at you when you stepped into the front seat, "Get enough to eat tonight?" He tilted his head and began the route to your house. "No, not nearly.." You sighed and explained your experience.

After you arrived home that night you had a shower, played a few levels of some puzzle game on your phone, and got to bed.

* * *

Later in the week you had a successful hunt, filling you up for the next 2 weeks, and you even picked up a 'snack' for your friends, since it was getting close to the end of their month of eating and they'd need a little more strength for their next hunt. Daito Minota was your best friend, you could trust him with your life, and your secrets. He was a ghoul and the only ghoul you knew that you had told what you were. He had 2 rules he always went by. Only eat when it is necessary and reduce the suffering of prey.

He supplied your liquid, he used it when a human couldn't be killed quickly and painlessly and he would lend it to you since you couldn't consume the recently deceased like a ghoul. Your prey had to be alive while it was drained, much to your distaste.

You knocked on his door and smiled when he opened, looking like trash. "Didn't sleep well?" You teased as you walked inside and placed the paper bagged gift into his freezer. He stumbled over and pressed his forehead to the back of your neck, pointing to the couch, which had a fluffy pile of red hair hanging over the end. "That little rat kept me up all night with his stupid video games!" He whined and you snorted softly, rolling your eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what kept you up." You snickered and walked over to the couch, hearing an offended gasp from Daito as you peeked over the back of the couch, "Hey, Hiko."

The redhead smirked and winked at you, he had liked your joke too, leaving Daito as the only complaining one. "Don't worry, he's just upset that he has to go into work today. The new girl didn't show up so he's whiny this morning." Upon Hiko's statement you stood up fully, ruffling his hair and giving Daito a hug before you explained you had to get to work as well, reminding them of the small meal in the freezer. You decided to walk to work, it was nice out and you didn't work that far away.

As your black tennis shoes crunched on fallen leaves on the sidewalk, you witnessed the aftermath of a night of celebration. Drunk people of all species passed out on park benches, broken glass on the streets that had yet to be cleaned up, confetti absolutely everywhere, and, of course, blood in nearly every alleyway, leaking onto the sidewalk. You soon arrived at the sandwich shop you worked at and clocked in, smiling at your work wife and asking how her night was while you both prepared for the day's work.

The morning shift wasn't the worst, it was mostly people picking up food to store until lunch or stopping by to grab a drink before work. You were actually having a great morning now that you were more awake and got to goof around a little during prep. That changed dramatically when a familiar scent hit you like a ton of bricks. Death.

You looked to the door and saw a head of purple hair, receiving a jab of the elbow from your coworker as she smiled painfully wide, "Good morning, sir, what can we get you today?" Her customer service voice was sickeningly sweet, but management liked friendly faces from their employees. You stood stock-still and couldn't move, couldn't blink, couldn't speak as you stared at the man currently ordering black coffee from your coworker.

About 13 seconds went by before he looked in your direction and it took him a moment but suddenly his eyes widened and he grinned. He remembered. He knew you just by your face and your scent. He took a few steps toward you and was pleasantly surprised when you didn't back away this time. Your legs refused to work, but your eyes followed his every move. "Why hello, ma chérie. Have we, perhaps, met before?" He spoke in a voice that drove fear into your core.

With another elbow jab, this time accompanied by a harsh look, you awoke from your trance. responding as you passed the cup of coffee from your coworker to the ghoul, "My apologies for staring, sir. I don't know if I recognize you but it's entirely possible you've seen me working here before." He smiled and exclaimed, taking the mug from you, and making sure to brush against your fingers, "Ah! That must be it! Thank you both so much for the coffee, I'll be sure to come back again." To anyone else his last comment may have seemed friendly, but what you heard was a threat.

You watched him stride down the sidewalk, away from the building and slowly the fear bled out of your lungs with each breath you took. Your work wife thought nothing more of your little incident and began cleaning the counters while you composed yourself. This man, whoever he was, had a habit of ruining your good moods.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He came again, day after day, even when you weren't working. He was friendly with every employee and sometimes helped keep the dining area clean of stray napkins or small bits of paper trash. Needless to say, everyone at work adored him. He didn't attempt to get your phone number and he wasn't uncomfortably close with you, apparently he knew to keep some distance from you. This changed when you slowly began to notice items of yours disappearing, sometimes reappearing in strange places. It was nothing to be concerned about, right? But first, let's take a glance into the eyes of the man in question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daito and Hikona Minota are my original characters. For this story you can imagine then however you want, however Hiko is taller than Daito, that's the only way I'll probably describe them for now. I'm working on another plot line with them and I may write a story about them one day, or do some art of them. I felt I should clarify that these are my characters and most likely the only named characters other the Tsukiyama in the fic. Daito and Hikona are married and live together in your apartment building, which is where you met them. Daito is your best friend and Hiko is like a brother to you, they are the only friends outside of work that you hang out with, just for this plot line.

The purple haired ghoul watched as you fled through the window, taken aback from the sudden movement. He let you get too close to the window. Tsukiyama cursed under his breath as he quickly climbed out of the window, looking around for a sign of the creature he'd just lost. He sniffed and followed your scent onto the roof, watching you hop from rooftop to rooftop, faster than any ghoul or human he'd ever seen. Magnifique. However this sparked a new interest in him, he had to find out what you were.

Rather than chase you down, he returned to the place he met you, gazing down upon your former victim. Soft, shaky breaths still slipped from her nose, while Tsukiyama caressed her cheek and looked to the site of her wound.

He had interrupted you, not allowing you to finish your process. He'd never heard of a wound like this and he assumed by your age and technique that you were not new to this. The police had no business finding a woman with new injuries and attempting to find his creature. How odd, he'd only just met you but something inside of him had so quickly decided that you were _his._

The ghoul traced along the girl's neck, gathering her blood and a bit of your saliva onto his fingers and slipping them into his mouth. His body quivered and he let a moan slip out at the taste. This girl was just a simple human, nothing about her should give him that reaction. Mon Dieu! The woman he'd let slip away had awoken a new hunger inside of him. 

_He had to have you._

Needless to say, he cleaned up your unfinished business, ensuring the CCG would assume it was just a random ghoul attack. He attempted to follow your scent once he had finished up, but once he noticed that he was heading directly into CCG territory, he stopped. Growling softly to himself, he returned to his own home. He would find you somehow. He had too.

One could only imagine his delight when, a few days later, he was on his way to meet with a friend and he stopped at a small sandwich shop that he knew served coffee early in the morning. Though, of course, he'd never stopped by. Another ghoul had mentioned it to him in a passive conversation months ago. When he stepped inside and saw the familiar face he'd seen only nights before, the hunger rose inside of him again. 

He watched your face contort into an expression of fear, absolute terror. Eyes wide and body stunned, your lips were ever so slightly ajar in shock. He smirked and made his way over to your place at the counter, "Why hello, ma chérie. Have we, perhaps, met before?" Nothing. Not a word uttered until your coworker gave you a disapproving look, causing you to wake from your slumber.

"My apologies for staring, sir. I don't know if I recognize you but it's entirely possible you've seen me working here before." Your voice trembled ever so slightly as you replied, handing over his beverage. That voice, absolument magnifique! Much more pleasant than the growl he'd received previously. Now was not the time to take his chances though, he had a lead on where to find his creature. He caught your fingers ever so slightly as he accepted the mug from you. Shrugging off the obvious uncomfortable energy the room had now taken on, he agreed with your statement and made a promise to you. A promise he would definitely not forget to keep. Enjoying the shiver he earned from you in return as he left the building.

Throughout the rest of that day, whenever he became bored of his conversations, he would casually move his hand to his face. Just enough to catch your scent again. Every time he did, euphoria poured into his lungs and he thought up more ways to find you again. He would have you, no matter what.

* * *

He came again, day after day, even when you weren't working. He was friendly with every employee and sometimes helped keep the dining area clean of stray napkins or small bits of paper trash. Needless to say, everyone at work adored him. He didn't attempt to get your phone number and he wasn't uncomfortably close with you, apparently he knew to keep some distance. You didn't have a real reason to be uncomfortable. This changed when you slowly began to notice items of yours disappearing, sometimes reappearing in strange places. It was nothing to be concerned about, right?

You had spent the night with Daito and Hikona and you slipped into the bathroom to get dressed for work. Here we go again, you thought, sighing and finishing your morning routine. You smiled at the mirror, speaking softly to yourself, "Today will be a good day." Willing yourself to believe it, you grabbed your bag, left the boys a note explaining that you'd gone to work, and you walked out. Daito and Hiko lived in the same apartment complex as you, though they were a few floors above you. 

You popped in your earbuds and played your most recent favorite playlist, starting your morning off right. After a 20 minute walk, you abruptly cut off the music and tossed your phone and earbuds into your bag, smiling to your manager as you grabbed an apron and began your prep.

Later in the day, of course, the ghoul showed up. You still didn't know his name, and to your knowledge, he didn't know yours. You slipped into the employees bathroom when you saw him outside and waited long enough for him to leave before you came out, sighing in relief when he was gone. 

However, you jumped whenever your manager smiled and winked at you, handing you slip of paper with a phone number scrawled neatly with purple ink. During the rest of your shift she teased you about the handsome, polite customer that had eyes for you. Though, you had an idea it wasn't as innocent as she thought. You shoved the slip of paper in your pocket, maybe you would try to ask him to stay away nicely, but you definitely wouldn't put yourself in a room alone with this man.

* * *

That evening you were home alone and after 3 weeks of ignoring this man and cowering away from his attempts, you gave him a call.

_Ring... Ring... Ring..._

Was he busy? A confused look crossed your face and even a bit of a frown. Why would you be disappointed? All these thoughts ceased when you noticed the ringing had stopped and a charming voice answered the phone. "Hello?" Your eyes brightened slightly and you replied with a quiet, nervous chuckle. "Hello? Is this the purple haired customer?" 

Now it was his turn to chuckle, but he wasn't nervous, he sounded delighted. "That depends on one thing, chérie. Is this the mignon sandwich shop employee?" You nodded but mentally hit yourself when you remembered you were on the phone, "Yes, sir, it is. Is there anything I should call you?" He replied with an audible smile, "You may call me Tsukiyama, and for you, ma chérie?" 

You gave him your name, to which you earned a pleased hum. He offered to take you out to dinner Friday night, two nights away, and after a moment of hesitation you agreed. "What is the restaurant like? Should I dress nicely or casually?" You asked, the last thing you wanted to do was embarrass yourself among upperclassmen. You may work at a sandwich shop, but you were by no means at the bottom of the social ladder.

After receiving the information you needed, you thanked him and continued on conversation until he stated he had to go. You said your goodbyes and hung up, deciding to take a shower and go to bed, it was getting late. Had you really talked for that long?

You gathered a change of clothes, laid them out on the bed for when you finished, and started running the shower. Undressing and slipping into the shower after the water was just right. You felt relaxed as the warm water caressed your body, humming the few songs from this morning that you could remember the melody of. Once you finished, you wrapped yourself in a soft towel and dried your hair before you exited your bathroom. You gently patted your body dry before sitting on your bed to get dressed, the relaxation you'd previously felt was slowly melting away as you felt a new sensation. You felt watched, but your windows were closed, so you shrugged it off. It was mostly likely nothing.

As you finished dressing, you slipped under the blankets on your bed and curled up. As relaxation re-enveloped you and you felt sleep overwhelming your senses, your last thought, before you succumbed to the unconsciousness, was that you didn't remember closing your closet doors when you picked out your clothes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you felt consciousness streaming down to you at the pace of a snail, you urged your body to roll over, trying to move away from the uncomfortable position. You couldn't move. You couldn't even turn your head. Your eyes shot open but stayed hidden in darkness, your thoughts were running through your head at lightning speed, but suddenly you heard a noise and that all changed. You inhaled deeply but found yourself overwhelmed by the scents that were flooding your nose, ghoul and human. What the hell? What did this mean? Where were you?

Tsukiyama breathed softly, gripping onto his pants as he willed himself to wait just a bit longer. He had to be absolutely sure you were asleep first. Waiting 30 more minutes, he slowly opened the silent doors and admired you for only a second longer before he found your hunting bag. He used the fragrant liquid to coat another cloth, grabbing a stray piece of clothing and gently laying it across your nose and eyes before he pounced on top of you with the cloth in his hand covering your mouth. 

Your body jolted awake, facing the darkness of your clothing covering your eyes and Tsukiyama pressed down both of his hands, one over your eyes and nose and the other over your mouth. You struggle and growl against the cloth, causing you to inhale next and with one whiff of the drenched cloth he could feel you becoming weaker. Growling again was definitely a mistake and soon you felt the adrenaline in your body become overpowered with the urge to fall asleep again. 

Your limbs slowly became numb and you lost the fight against the strong person on top of you. 

He grinned, parfaite, you were his for now. He wouldn't keep you long, but he wanted to investigate more before the rest of his plan could fall in line. 

* * *

When you felt consciousness streaming down on you at the pace of a snail, you urged your body to roll over, trying to move away from the uncomfortable position. You couldn't move. You couldn't even turn your head. Your eyes shot open but stayed hidden in darkness, your thoughts were running through your head at lightning speed, but suddenly you heard loud noises and that all changed. You inhaled deeply but found yourself overwhelmed by the scents that were flooding your nose, ghoul and human. What the hell? What did this mean? Where were you?

Wait- You woke up struggling. That wasn't a dream and now you definitely weren't in your apartment anymore. You checked to see where you were restrained by pulling on each limb. Both ankles, thighs, your midsection, forearms, wrists, neck, and your forehead were immobile. Whoever had you clearly didn't leave any chance for you to get out easily.

You heard a door open and attempted to try to smell whoever entered but the amount of scents around you overwhelmed your nose once again. Suddenly, you heard a voice, speaking loudly over an intercom, so loud you winced away from the noise the best you could. "Ladies and gentlemen! Ghouls of all kinds! Welcome back to our lovely 7th Ward Ghoul Restaurant! Upon hunting for a victim tonight our host encountered a special kind of human. Possibly not a human at all! A generous donation from one of our guests has included several strong, young men, promised freedom if they can defeat our little friend! Whoever dies tonight will be your dinner! Enjoy the show and bon appetit!" The voice cut off and the speakers were silent, but now another sense of yours was being assaulted. Bright light nearly blinded you as a large cloth was removed from the large cage you had apparently been locked in. 

A man holding a large ring of keys walked over and unlocked the door to your prison. Once he was close enough you could tell that he was human, but an emotionless expression painted his face. You watched as he slowly undid every restraint and listened when he warned you. "If you move. They won't give you a chance. You'll be pulled apart and devoured. Stay still and do as they say." This sounded less like he cared for your well-being and more like instructions he'd been given. 

Once you nodded he walked off to unlock 10 very, muscular men about 100 yards from you. You glanced down at yourself a saw that you wore proper attire, dressed for a ball almost, however your feet had been left bare. You knew you didn't dress yourself but you couldn't be bothered to worry as you heard the speakers click on again. "Alright! Our lockman has released all of the humans! Please step out of your individual cages and stand just in front of the doors!"

You brought yourself to your feet and got used to your wobbling legs as you stepped out. You knew this was going to be bloody based on what The Announcer, as you'd now dubbed him, had said before and while you weren't happy to mercilessly kill humans to survive, you were not opposed to it. You were far older than anyone in this room and you didn't need childish ghouls wasting your time. Your species aged 4 times slower than humans and ghouls. When a human baby turned 4, you were having your 1st birthday. By the time a human was 18, you were barely 5 years old. At the end of a generation you had only slightly reached 8. At the end of the century you would turn 25.

The Announcer spoke again, "Good! Now, when the gong sounds! Men, your priority is to defeat this female, then you will be given your next task! And to the lovely lady, your priority is to survive! If you can do that, then our host will decide what's next for you! Does everyone understand?" Without waiting for an answer he cuts off again and within the next 3 seconds you hear a loud gong. "Begin!"

* * *

Not long passes until you're left heaving from exhaustion. 10 bloody, vaguely dismembered bodies lie all around the arena and blood seeps out of your mouth as you run a hand through your hair, falling to your knees. You had definitely shown the crowd how inhuman you were in this fight, but you didn't care. You did what they'd asked and now you got to see what was next before you could go home.

The Announcer spoke, "WOW! What a performance! Now then, the chefs will come and collect the bodies for dinner's preparation! And, young lady, whatever beast you may be, please step back into your cage and soon instructions from our host will be given to decide your fate." He finished and you stood, licking your lips and wiping the blood from your chin. Did you feel bad? Yes, but would that ever stop you from surviving? No.

Moments passed and each body, even the last one, which you'd drained for extra strength, was collected. Once the last body was removed from the arena and every door was shut, the speakers snapped back on. "My dear, our host had decided to free you. You'll be cleaned and returned to your home without anymore trouble from our establishment." You sighed in relief but felt a sharp pain in your back followed by a sudden numbness. Of course they'd tranquilize you for the process..

* * *

You woke up in bed, heaving and afraid, as if you'd woken from a terrible dream. You looked around you frantically and noticed the bruises from the fights were still on our body, the cloth from your kidnapping was still on the floor and you began choking back sobs when you realized it wasn't a dream. You looked down at yourself again, you were clean and in your own clothes, the ones from when you'd originally gone to sleep.

Without another breath, you rose from your bed, grabbing your robe and quickly wrapping yourself up in it as you ran out of your room, slamming the door closed. You didn't bother with an elevator, so you ran up 4 flights of stairs until you were in front of Daito's apartment, banging on the door and sniffing back the tears and cries that begged to escape from you.

When Hiko opened the door he looked down at you, apparently it was nighttime again and he was tired. He saw the state you were in and began to ask if you were okay, but you were already dashing into his place and breaking down as your back hit one of the walls. You slid down to the floor and were practically hyperventilating as you sobbed and cried out everything you had been holding in this whole time.

Hiko was quickly by your side and, upon hearing the screams, Daito rushed in and crouched beside you. He wrapped his arms around you, which caused you to flinch away slightly before you buried your face in his chest, trying to catch your breath between cries. "Sweetheart, what happened? Why are you covered in bruises? Who did this?" Hiko rubbed your back and helped calm you down as Daito held you, still in shock. You didn't answer him, you couldn't yet.

Finally, whenever you'd calmed down enough, you explained everything you could remember to them. About the closet being closed, the person on top of you, waking up in a cage, having to fight random humans to survive, about the arena- Which is when Hiko cut you off. "Arena? Like a sports arena?" You shook your head and sniffed, "No, No... It looked more like a theater.. With cages and an announcer.. He said something about it being a 'Ghoul Restaurant' in another ward." Hiko's eyes widened and it freaked you out a little, asking him what was wrong, "Which ward?"

"What?" You replied, confused, wondering why it mattered and trying to remember at the same time. "Which ward was it? There are Ghoul Restaurants in every ward, but if you know which one you were in, then I might be able to tell you who runs it." Your jaw dropped in surprise and you tried desperately to remember until it hit you and you spoke out suddenly, "7th. The 7th Ward."

Hiko's expression darkened and he gently kissed your head and pulled you close, breathing out deeply. It wasn't uncommon to receive affection like this from your friends, but this was not the time. "You are so lucky to be alive.." You looked up at him as he continued, "That is The Gourmet's Restaurant.. Until now, hardly anyone in that arena has walked out without major injury, or walked out at all.."

Your eyes filled with tears again, you had a very real chance of never leaving that place. But that just left another question on your mind. Who was The Gourmet?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You talked to your landlord and begged him for a new room, luckily he complied and you were able to relax ever so slightly. You spent most of your time with Daito and Hiko now, sleeping on their couch and waking from nightmares whenever you were lucky enough to get some sleep. Daito always came and held you until you were calm again, usually sitting with you until morning just to comfort you through your newfound trauma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short because it's a quick segway into chapter 5 which will be much longer

You talked to your landlord and begged him for a new room, luckily he complied and you were able to relax ever so slightly. You spent most of your time with Daito and Hiko now, sleeping on their couch and waking from nightmares whenever you were lucky enough to get some sleep. Daito always came and held you until you were calm again, usually sitting with you until morning just to comfort you through your newfound trauma.

You were back in your new apartment, getting things put together when you heard your phone ring. You had no idea how many days had passed since the incident. You saw Tsukiyama's name pop up and you answered, speaking softly as you greeted him. He sounded worried when he spoke, "Chérie? Have you been okay? You never called back and I don't see you at the sandwich shop anymore. Did something happen?" 

Hearing him concerned brought tears to your eyes. Other than the boys and your landlord, no one knew what you'd gone through and knowing that anyone else was worried about your well-being was comforting. You inhaled shakily and spilled your guts to him, he was silent while you explained all you had been through, quietly crying as you tried to keep from breaking down again, finally you began apologizing for not getting back to him. "I'm so sorry, I don't think I'd be comfortable going outside for awhile." You trailed off and Tsukiyama spoke sweetly on the other side, "I understand, ma chérie, but wouldn't you be more comfortable going outside if you had someone with you? We don't have to eat dinner to see each other, we could simply walk around in the park so you can feel comfortable getting back into your normal routine? You wouldn't want to become a hermit, would you, darling?" 

You thought for a moment and sniffed softly, smiling at the offer and how nice it sounded, "I suppose you're right.. I don't think I've left my apartment complex in weeks. It must've taken days for me to even return home from that place." You stayed silent for a bit before you asked, "Tsukiyama? What day is it?" He chuckled softly and replied carefully, trying so hard to keep his composure, "It's 3 weeks from Friday, when we were supposed to see each other. Do you see why I've been worried?" You smiled a bit nervously, maybe it had been too long for you to not step outside.

"Thank you, for listening and for offering to see me again. I feel like we need to talk about something and I don't think it's okay to do so over the phone." He agreed with you and hummed, "I have to go, ma chérie, I have to get ready for a social gathering." You smiled and said your goodbyes, letting him hang up.

Had you misjudged him to begin with because of his behavior when he was hungry? All ghouls, humans, and people like you were different when they were hungry. Maybe he came into the café every day because he just enjoyed seeing you? You didn't see why, you'd only met him once under strange circumstances. Did you enjoy seeing him there? He had never been rude to you or your coworkers, actually, he seemed friendly with everyone. After the incident your head was a broken puzzle with thousands of pieces to put together again. Maybe you should give him a chance to be closer than strangers.

* * *

Tsukiyama growled in delight as he hung up the phone, peering through your window and smirking, he had already found your new apartment, thankfully. He stepped away and onto the roof of the building, gripping the fine clothes at his chest and gasping. You were so wonderfully vulnerable now, his plan to pry your guarded walls down and find out just what exactly you were was working! Not to mention the samples of your blood he'd had taken when you were unconscious. He had yet to finish them luckily but he found one interesting side effect of consuming it. Your blood was intoxicating, not just delicious, genuinely intoxicating to him and other ghouls he'd had test it. 

Whatever you were, your blood had the ability to make ghouls drunk out of their minds. All of his colleagues described it as a kind of intoxication they'd never experienced before, much different than blood wine which ghouls would usually drink. The hunger and arousal it sparked in everyone was nearly ravenous. He'd had a few humans test it as well and surprisingly their experience was the same, total drunken madness. 

You had moved up on the scale of Tsukiyama's interests and priorities. You weren't just a meal he was hunting, you were an entirely new specimen of his.


	5. Chapter 5

Later that day, you and Tsukiyama decided to meet at the sandwich shop, grab a cup of coffee, and then walk around the nearest park. You still stayed with your friends most of the time and you confided in them that you thought you were interested in him, but you weren't sure yet. You also admitted to them that he was a ghoul. Daito teased you and Hiko offered you advice. However his advice was to simply "Carry a taser." 

Eventually you tried to start sleeping back in your own apartment. You lasted 2 full nights but the 3rd was hard, you couldn't stop thinking. To solve this you simply used your key and crashed on the boys’ couch. You didn't think they heard you come in, which was unfortunate when you woke up to Daito being very noisy. When they came out and realized you'd heard them, it was your turn to tease him.

The next morning you woke up, in your bed, thankfully, and decided to wear a cute top and simple pants. This wasn't a fancy date so you didn't need to impress anyone, but you wouldn't walk around the park in sweatpants with a man who would most likely be wearing some form of formal attire.

You sat outside on the sidewalk, humming and watching people go by, could you regain your relatively normal life? Or, at the very least, walk the streets comfortably again? You knew you'd never forget what happened to you, but you couldn't just hire a therapist. Your secrets made things much more difficult than that. 

You began to zone out, watching a few birds hop along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. A gentle tap on the shoulder awoke you from your thoughts, causing you to look up to the friendly face above you with wide eyes and a surprised expression. Once you realized it was Tsukiyama, your face softened into a sweet smile and you stood up in time with his greeting. He grabbed your hand with a firmness that one would give to fragile glass, lifting it and leaning down to place a gentle, slightly lingering kiss to your knuckle. He looked up at you from that position with a sly smile, "Good morning, ma chérie."

A soft pink dusted across your cheeks and you chuckled softly, what a way to introduce himself. You didn't know him well yet, but one thing you knew was that he definitely was smooth. "Hi, Tsukiyama." You flashed him another smile and motioned with your head to the café. You had almost made it to the door before he quickly reached the door handle first, opening the door for you and another lady that was walking in. He insisted on being a gentleman.

This took you by surprise as no one had ever held a door open for you before, unless it was only for you to catch it as you entered wherever you were. You stepped inside and once the other woman entered, he joined by your side at the counter. 

He ordered a simple black coffee and you asked for your usual drink as your coworker winked at you, seeing you'd finally given the purple haired gentleman the time of day. She had joked with you that if you weren't interested in him, she'd take him off your hands, and at the time you didn't mind it. However, with all of her subtle attempts to draw his attention away from you, he simply wasn't concerned with her advances. Finally, she gave up.

The two of you received your drinks and you took a moment to savor your first sip, noticing that he seemed very interested in your facial expression as it softened from just the taste of the drink. You smiled and began walking with him, returning to the streets and making your way to the nearest park. It was about 3 blocks away. 

You both walked in relative silence, until you noticed a butterfly that had been circling the both of you, you stopped and so did the ghoul. Once you were both still the butterfly settled, right on your right shoulder and you smiled. You weren't always interested in humans but other creatures fascinated you, so you always took a moment to admire them. 

This clearly caught Tsukiyama's attention and he let out a chuckle, "Do you like butterflies, chérie?" You nodded to him and smiled as you coaxed the butterfly to make its way onto the back of your hand. "I adore animals, they're pure. They don't have to pretend to be anything they don't desire to be." You trailed off and watched as the butterfly fluttered off, settling somewhere in a cherry blossom tree. 

After this encounter, you both began walking again and he initiated the conversation you had still been avoiding, as you entered the park. "You had said you wanted to speak with me about something, chérie? What would that be?" 

Your eyes widened slightly as you remembered what had been occupying your thoughts for about a month now. "Uhm.. Yes, actually. The last holiday we had, I saw a ghoul and you both smell incredibly similar. I know you are a ghoul, but was that you?" His eyes showed a kind of amusement similar to that of a cat watching a mouse. "Ah, ma chérie, were you the one making prey of that poor sleeping girl?~" He grinned and purred, it drove chills down your spine as you felt yourself almost forced to nod from the effects his gaze had on you.

He slowed to a stop and stood in front of you now, on a pathway that you hadn't even realized you'd been alone on, "Now, chérie, you say you know that I am a ghoul, but no matter how long I've thought about it.. I can't seem to understand what exactly you were doing in that girl's room." You tensed slightly when he lifted your chin, how did he always have a way of causing you to freeze up when you didn't feel in immediate danger? You couldn't avoid eye contact as he continued, "Would you enlighten me to what your business with her was?~"

As if you were under a spell, your lips formed syllables without consent from your brain, stuttering out one word with a shaky breath, "Feeding.." His eyes lit up with excitement and he smirked deviously, letting you go and taking half of a step backwards, "Fascinating." He purred and continued walking, waiting for you to catch up. He sipped his coffee casually, like he hadn't just manipulated an answer out of you that you hadn't intended on sharing with him.

You took a fraction of a second to collect yourself and sped up to reach his side again only to receive another comment from him that knocked the breath from your lungs. “You’re not human or ghoul, ma chérie.” He glanced down at you from the corner of his eye to catch your honest nod. 

You severely debated telling him your secret, but you hardly knew this man. However, he knew your abilities and it didn’t matter if he had a name for it or not, he already knew. Your throat ran dry as you muttered out one simple word, “Kyūketsuki.” 

He nodded and hummed in delight, “Ah! Vampire? I’ve never heard of them populating this area of the world. That’s primarily a Western creature isn’t it?” You nodded, “My parents moved here to avoid war in the Western world. They led quiet lives and they witnessed the origin of ghouls in Japan. Rather than making it harder for them, it was easier to raise a child when carnage is already everywhere else. The perfect distraction, essentially.” You explained and he looked a bit confused, “That was decades ago. How old are you, chérie?”

You looked up at him and responded with an answer that shocked him, almost causing him to choke on his coffee. “Developmentally, I am 22. In human or ghoul years, I am 88 years old. Kyūketsuki age at a different rate than humans and ghouls.” 

This clearly enticed him and he grinned wildly to ask his next question, “That girl wasn’t dead, you don’t feed like a ghoul do you?” You simply shook your head. He asked you several questions and you gave him honest answers but when he asked for weaknesses you growled softly under your breath. “No. I am not comfortable sharing that.” This took him off guard, but he clearly enjoyed ruffling your feathers.

Your only weaknesses were the toxicity of peppermint to your species and the small, surprisingly crippling detail that your skin was highly flammable. Heat wouldn’t affect it, but an open flame that came too close to your body would ignite you in scorching flames.

He held up his hands in surrender and smirked, continuing to walk with you and refraining from anymore deeply personal questions for the rest of your morning together. 

He walked you back home shortly after that and by now you had relaxed again from your defensive outburst. You smiled at him and wished him a good day. However he had a different way of departing from you. 

He lifted your chin for the last time today and leaned to leave a gentle peck on your cheek, summoning a dark blush to your face and he wished you farewell, leaving you in shock. At least he had been nice enough to not steal your first kiss without your consent.


	6. Quick update

Hey guys! I know I already posted today so I wanted to come on and say thanks so much for reading!

Feel free to share, comment, give kudos and subscribe to the story!

I don't have a set posting rate and i don't have a definite plan for this story, but ive been lucky enough to write about a chapter a day so far!

If you guys have any questions or inquiries i'd be happy to do a q/a chapter to clear some things up. If you want me to do that just leave a question in the comments and ill clear up any questions!


	7. Chapter 6

Tsukiyama sat at home, a bloody meal in front of him as he pondered on the creature of his desires. He knew a name now. He had contacted several Western friends of his, asking them for any literature they could find about vampires. They questioned his sudden interest but he didn’t bother to enlighten them. Stacks of books lay in front of him as he ate, scanning through them all one at a time. 

He weeded through the fiction, most themes seemed consistent throughout the books, garlic repellent, immortal demons, stakes to the heart, burning the body, and of course the insistent detail that they were all "bloodthirsty monsters" who came back from the dead to ensight revenge on the living. But when he thought about the questions he'd asked, he was able to dismiss theories that just seemed like religious intolerance. 

His creature was no demon, she wasn't a bloodthirsty savage, and he'd seen her eat garlic bread as a snack before. She wasn't immortal, however, she did age very slowly compared to others.

When he was nearing the end of his hunt for information, he found a journal that seemed to acknowledge a more accurate representation of his creature. The man wrote of a beautiful woman that he'd fallen in love with only to later realize her uniqueness. He wrote about her eating habits, the affect her blood had on him when deeply inhaled or consumed, the longevity of her lifespan, and, thankfully, her weaknesses.

The ghoul grinned when he found a book that so perfectly described his creature. He dove into the information before him, devouring every drop of knowledge that he could.

* * *

Vampires can consume human food of any kind, however, they will not retain any sustenance from it. This allows them to blend in with the human populace. They must feed upon a fully-grown, live human at a minimum of once every 2 weeks. The maximum amount that I have observed is 5 adult humans in 1 day. This does not appear to be a reasonable use of energy and it draws much attention to recent deaths and disappearances. My love prefers the former option over the latter.

While mending a wound of hers, I inhaled rather deeply at one point, noticing myself becoming light-headed. Upon further investigation, it appears that, when inhaled, vampire blood gives humans a feeling of ecstasy. However, when consumed, it appears that it works similar to the effects of alcohol, along with the ecstatic feeling. She did not seem to be aware of this fact. Unlike human cannibalism, as studied by other scientists, the consuming of vampire blood does not seem to hinder the human subject or debilitate them at all.

My love has explained to me the details of her aging process. Contrary to popular belief, she is not immortal or a member of the risen dead. She was born of two parents, just as a human would be. She is thrice my current age at this time, but it appears that her species ages at a fourth of the rate humans do. My love will, without outside influence, outlive me by many lifetimes. Her presence is a blessing to me, she knows she will lose me and will have to endure the heartache, but she chooses to stay.

She has allowed me to document her hindrances. The delicate skin of a vampire is flammable. Any open flame that comes within 5 inches of any part of her body would morph her into a ball of flames, unable to save. This is how her mother met her unfortunate end. Vampires cannot consume all human foods, there is one exception, peppermint. Any form of the plant or oil at all will irritate the skin and, when consumed, result in severe sickness and most likely death. When taken in very blood-diluted doses it will only upset the stomach and induce vomiting, but when consumed alone, or with the equivalent dosage of an entire peppermint plant, it will cause a painful death for the one who has consumed it. Other types of mint do not have this affect, such as watermint, spearmint, or mint. If a vampire senses peppermint nearby, they will most likely avoid it at all costs as it is a risk not taken lightly.

* * *

As Tsukiyama finished reading, a wicked grin appeared on his face, he didn't need to ask anymore about you. He had all the information he needed in this man's journal, and he did intend to use it.

He skimmed through the last book, but found no useful information. He began mailing back the books to his colleagues with notes of gratitude. He wrote a letter to the sender of the journal, asking if he could keep it for now. Once he finished, he sent out the letters and began getting dressed for a night at his restaurant. Tonight, there would be a bountiful feast.

* * *

You sat in your room, happily acclimated into your new apartment. You were busy reading when you heard a knock on your door, coaxing you away from your book and to the door. Before opening the door, you glanced through the peephole and saw Daito's smiling face. A bright smile adorned your features as you opened the door for him, "Come in!" You looked down and noticed he had a paper bag along with another bag that looked to contain something heavier. 

"What's in the bags?" You questioned and he held up the paper bag, waving it a little with a smirk, "A snack in here," he motioned to the bigger bag and plopped it onto your bed, "and this is my gaming system. You're gonna tell me all about your date while we play video games!" You smiled softly at his excited nature but your eyes went wide and a soft blush painted your cheeks. "No, Daito, it wasn't a date!" You whined softly but he gave you a wink and smirked, "He kissed you on the cheek before he left, I saw it myself. You know it was a date, you just don't wanna admit it because you're scared of getting close to people." 

You huffed softly in defeat and reached into the bag. Holy shit, he had a bottle of blood wine. You assumed it was for you since you couldn't eat "snacks" like he could. With this added element to the room, you decided to let it go. You liked the date anyway.

As the night went on you told Daito about how you walked with him in the park, talked about yourself, how you couldn't help but admire how handsome he was now that he didn't seem threatening to you. Your friend found it healthy that you were getting out of your comfort zone and meeting new people. He was aware of how hard it was for you to get attached to people because you knew one day you'd have to let them go, watching them grow old while you were still in your prime.

As you both played video games you occasionally felt like you were being watched, which unnerved you because of what had happened to you before. You asked Daito but he didn't seem to feel it, so you rubbed it off for now, you'd just sleep on their couch tonight to be sure.


	8. Reader OC's abilities vs Humans and Ghouls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are the OC's physical abilities greater than ghouls and humans? - commented by zo-mi3 on Chapter 7
> 
> This would take too long to explain in a comment so I've devoted a chapter to it, also I apologize for my long break, but a new chapter will be released very soon! Also some of this info is taken directly unchanged from the Tokyo Ghoul Wiki, I only hold ownership over my original characters Daiko and Hikona. Even my interp of vampires is up for the taking.

The reader oc's physical characteristics lie somewhere between humans and ghouls, even though ghouls are already very similar to humans by their human-like appearances, that's almost as similar as they get. The reader's vampire species, as my interpretation, is like a direct middle-ground for both physical and psychological differences. 

"A ghoul can only feed on humans and other ghouls." (<https://tokyoghoul.fandom.com/wiki/Ghoul>) Humans, obviously, eat regular human food. My vampire interp can consume and naturally process human food, but does not retain sustenance from any of it. Ghouls can technically _consume_ human food, but their bodies cannot actually process it.

Human blood is what gives sustenance to the reader oc, not the actual meat. So, unlike ghouls, they don't "consume" the human's body, only the contents of their veins. For the sake of plot, I have decided to make it possible for ghouls to consume blood-less human bodies, since it doesn't say (to my knowledge) anything contradicting that in the anime/wiki/etc. This is just to push the plot along and incorporate the reader oc's species into the story further.

Physicality-wise, in this story, vampires are strong enough to "hold their own" again a ghoul but are nowhere near as strong as them. The vampires main advantage is they because more animal-like when they are in danger, like a wild animal backed into a corner. Dangerous on it's own, but a whole new ballpark once it's life is on the line. Ghouls have the advantage of their kagune and physical mutations to aid in battle, but the reader oc's species has been in hiding so long, they don't require attack qualities like ghouls would to survive. Kind of like 'survival-of-the-fittest" but they survive only by camouflage and speed.

While my vampires are physically disadvantaged at defending themselves, they are much faster than ghouls, twice as fast to be exact. "Ghouls have a high physical capability and are four to seven times stronger than the average human: they are able to send the average human flying if struck with enough force, and can penetrate a human's body with their bare hands." (<https://tokyoghoul.fandom.com/wiki/Ghoul>) Vampires, in this story do not possess this strength, but they are stronger than humans, able to crush bones with their bare hands and rip through muscle easily with their jaws. They have naturally denser muscle mass than humans, allowing them super-human strength, even if it still doesn't reach the level of ghoul strength.

Vampires don't possess fangs here, they consume human blood by using their specialized suction strength to drain a human through a wound made by their regular teeth. 

A few good examples of the differences between humans, ghouls, and these vampires are explained in the chapters. The reader cannot effectively fight a ghoul head on, so they choose to escape with a sure knowledge of being able to outrun a ghoul, but can easily take down multiple humans at a time. In a moment of hunger, these odds change, as any would with a hungry animal when they catch sight of food, the body goes into an overdrive and abandons rational thought or strategy in favor of brute force powered by adrenaline.

I hope this answers some questions! If there are anymore regarding this topic, then I will edit this chapter and reply in comments!


End file.
